Related Coverage

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Hispanic woman says her co-workers viciously taunted her after learning she was upset with Donald Trump’s depiction of Mexican immigrants as criminals.

Alexandra Avila alleges in a lawsuit that her co-workers at Sedgwick Claims Management Services began calling her an “illegal immigrant” even though she’s a U.S. citizen. She says they put a picture of an angry-looking Trump as her computer’s screensaver, signed her up for his campaign and sent her several racist memes. One read: “How’s Mr. Donald Trump going to deport all these illegal’s? Juan by Juan.”

Trump’s rhetoric about Mexican immigrants has contributed to racial tensions for months. High school students have chanted “Build a wall” at sporting events to taunt Latino opponents.

Avila’s lawsuit alleges that such heckling occurred at a white-collar workplace in Iowa.